Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
The second of six children, Hepburn was reared by rather unorthodox parents who granted their children complete freedom. By the time she entered Bryn Mawr in 1924, she was determined to be an actress. Four years later she made her Broadway debut at the Cort Theatre in These Days. The play closed after eight performances, but she was immediately cast as the star’s understudy in Phillip Barry’s Holiday. In 1932, she made her screen debut in A Bill of Divorcement. One film later she won her first Oscar for Morning Glory. She became the all-time Oscar champion, having been nominated a record-breaking 12 times. She’s the only four-time winner in an acting category: Morning Glory, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter, and On Golden Pond. 3
Fonda’s first appearance on Broadway was a small walk-on role in the 1929 production of The Game of Life and Death. The production closed after six weeks, and it would take several years for Fonda to establish himself in New York City. In addition to his summer work with the University Players Guild, Fonda appeared in many productions of the National Junior Theatre in Washington, D.C. He appeared in many productions in 1929 through 1931, including a stint as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. Fonda was married in 1931, to fellow actress, Margaret Sullivan. The marriage was short-lived, however, and the couple divorced in 1933. 6
Henry Fonda news, related photos and videos, and reviews of Henry Fonda performances. According to Wikipedia: Henry Jaynes Fonda was a highly acclaimed Academy Award-winning American film actor, best known for his roles as plain-speaking idealists. Fonda’s subtle, naturalistic acting style preceded by many years the popularization of method acting. 2
Fonda’s father did not approve of his son’s new career choice. He made Fonda take a job as a clerk in a credit company to support himself. Still, Fonda was cast in the lead role of Merton of the Movies at the Playhouse in 1926 or 1927. When William Fonda attended a performance, he recognized his son’s talent. Fonda got an early break in 1927 when he wrote a sketch for George Billings, a leading impersonator of former president Abraham Lincoln. The sketch featured a role for Fonda as Lincoln’s secretary. He toured on the vaudeville circuit with Billings for three months. When he returned to Omaha at the end of the tour, Fonda became the assistant director at the Omaha Community Playhouse. 4
The underlying issues are the complexity of the personalities of the jurors and the reasons why they have the motivation to feel and act the way they do. As the case unfolds further, more is learned about each juror individually. The personalities range from being a short-tempered loud mouth to a straight- laced accountant who never breaks a sweat. As the movie progresses much more is learned of the characters that exposes the intricacy of human nature and people’s different personality traits. 10
In 1935, Fonda made his film debut in The Farmer Takes a Wife, opposite co-star Janet Gaynor. Though he had created the role on stage, Fonda was not the first choice for the screen version. His work garnered widespread critical attention. Despite his Hollywood success, Fonda continued to appear both in films and in theater in New York City. He married his second wife, Frances Seymour Brokaw, in 1936. They had two children together, Jane and Peter, both of whom later became actors. 8
Henry Fonda memorabilia and much more. Just sit back and enjoy the winning American actress who began her career in the silent film era and survived the transition into talkies. 7
Weekend Edition - Saturday (NPR); 5/28/2005; SCOTT SIMON; 787 words ; discusses the life and career of Henry Fonda Host: SCOTT SIMON Time: 12:00 Noon This month marks the centennial of Henry Fonda. The film legend was born in Grand in Portland. 9
Miscellaneous: When Juror #8 wants to time how long it would take an injured man to walk down the hall, Juror #2 starts and stops the timing and announces it as “exactly 41 seconds”. In reality, and considering that the scene does not cut away, the time is 30 seconds. 5
